Confessions to a Yellow Duck
by Trinity Day
Summary: Confession is good for the soul, as several Hogwarts students find out one Friday night. A MWPP fic with Lily and Snape thrown in for good measure and featuring a brief cameo by Dumbledore.
1. Lily

**Confessions to a Yellow Duck: Lily**

In the beginning, there was silence. Then came the faint, but unmistakably sound of a male voice. He was singing, "_Rubber ducky, you're the one. You make bathtime lots of fun_."

When the last traces of music floated off, there was a sound that could only be described as a mixture of a squeak and a quack, and with that noise, a yellow, rubber ducky appeared...

* * *

Lily was the first one to enter the bathroom that night. She had gone early because she wanted a nice, long, _undisturbed_ hot bath, and knew the only way to get it was to go either really early or really late. Because it had been a long and stressful week, she opted for early.

She drew up a steaming hot foamy bubble bath. When the tub was nearly full, after testing the water first with her toes, she sank into the delightfully warm water. With a contended sigh, she closed her eyes and relaxed.

When she opened her eyes again, she caught sight of the rubber ducky.

"Oh, hey there," she said. "I didn't notice you before. Sorry. But it's been a long week.

Wanting someone, anyone, to pour out her troubles to, she decided to speak to the rubber duck. "It started out all right. There was a Quidditch match on Saturday, Ravenclaw verses Slytherin. Slytherin won, but just barely. It was an intense game. We, we being the Gryffindors, I mean, were all pretty upset with the Slytherin victory. Not just because Slytherin's our rivals, but because it means we have to beat Hufflepuff by at least one hundred and sixty points to even be in the running for the championship.

"Of course, that's what probably started the entire thing. We were all feeling pretty dejected and the Slytherins were going around, acting as if they had already won the cup, so Sirius, being Sirius, decided that he had to take them down a notch or two." She considered it for a minute and changed her mind. "Or ten," she revised.

"I still haven't figured out how he managed to talk me, Mercedes and Marie into helping him. When that boy puts his mind to it, he can move mountains, I swear.

"Anyway, he managed to come up with a plan that involved Magical Maddie's Forever Glue, an opera, a few charms that we shouldn't know of, and quite likely are illegal, a whole mess of feathers from every kind of creature imaginable and a helluva lot of rule breaking." At the duck's puzzled look, Lily just shook her head. Massaging her temples, she said, "Don't ask. Believe me, you don't want to know." She rolled her eyes. "Actually, I don't even know the whole of it. How Sirius manages to come up with these things, I don't know.

"So where was I? Oh yeah, so we pulled the prank and it went successfully. A few choice Slytherins, and no brownie points for guessing which Slytherins they were, were completely humiliated.

"Everyone knew who did it, of course. If Sirius only put half the effort into keeping his name clean as he puts into the pranks themselves..." Lily trailed off and sighed. "But that's the problem, I think. Sirius takes some perverse pleasure in showing off his work. He takes credit for everything he does, no matter how much trouble it gets him in.

"Unfortunately, this time, we all managed to get caught. Sirius tried to take all the blame, but it didn't work out that way, unfortunately. None of the teachers would believe James, Remus and Peter weren't involved in something Sirius did, and somehow word got out that Mercedes, Marie and I helped the fabulous foursome.

"McGonagall angry is a sight no one wants to see. We were assigned a night in the Forbidden Forest.

"James, Sirius and Remus are the only people I know other than Hagrid, who aren't petrified of the Forest. Even James and Remus are a bit nervous, but Sirius never seems to be afraid of anything. Peter and Marie are scared senseless of the place and Mercedes and I aren't too far behind. The place gives me the creeps. No one in their right mind would voluntarily go there.

"Anyway, we split up into two groups of four - Mercedes, Remus, James and I in one and Peter, Sirius, Marie and Hagrid in the other. We were supposed to gather up a list of plants to help replenish the stocks for Potions and Madam Pomfrey. Professor McGonagall said something about us using up more than our fair share, so we should help them replace the stuff we used. I think she was aiming the comment more at the boys than us. They're in the hospital wing every second day for one thing or another it sometimes seems.

"It wasn't too bad. I mean, we didn't come across anything _too_ terrifying. It took about three hours to collect all the plants. The boys were on pretty good behaviour, but I suppose it helped that Hagrid split them up. But then, I suppose Hagrid knew exactly what he was doing. It's not as if it was their first venture into the Forbidden Forest. More like their first one this month. Officially, I mean. I'm convinced they sneak into there fairly regularly. Why, I don't know. I don't see why anyone would want to spend any more time than necessary in that awful place.

"So, as I was saying, our detention lasted about three hours, so I didn't get to bed until late. When I woke up the next morning, my room was empty. Looking at the clock, I discovered that my first class was already half over.

"I jumped out of bed, and what did I find? Blood on my sheets. I had started my period," Lily said in disgust. "So I got to deal with _that_, lucky me.

"I got in trouble for skipping first period, even though I didn't exactly _skip_ it. Luckily, it was just History of Magic, and all Professor Binns ever does is assign lines. I still can't believe he hasn't noticed by now that every student for the last fifty years has handed their detention work in the exact same handwriting. I mean, really. They taught us the carbon copying charm back in second year. Really," she shook her head in disgust.

"Of course, Sirius wouldn't leave me alone about skipping first period, although he didn't show up himself. He teased me all morning, until at lunch, I finally blew up at him. That just caused him and James to 'whisper' some not-so-under-their-breath comments about how I was PMSing. The fact that I _was_ PMSing just made me angrier.

"By the time Care of Magical Creatures rolled around, I was ready to murder them. Even Peter had joined in. Remus hadn't, but I think the only reason was because he _knew_ I was actually PMSing. Remus is the only guy I know who actually pays attention to what time of month it is. Somehow, even though James and Sirius' grades are higher, I think Remus is the smartest of them.

"You know, for supposedly smart guys, you'd think they would learn when it was a good idea to keep their mouths shut.

"Normally Mercedes and Marie would be there for moral support, but I'd managed to alienate them earlier on by yelling at them for letting me sleep in. They said they had tried to wake me up, but it hadn't worked, so they had let me be.

"When classes were over, I couldn't stand it anymore. I had the worst cramps imaginable. So I went to the hospital wing and had to spend the night. Madam Pomfrey's medicine is horrible, but it gets rid of the cramps, so I'm not about to complain. I only wish I didn't find it necessary to take so often . . .

"Remus was the only whom I hadn't made completely furious at me, and consequently, was the only one who came to visit me. He brought me chocolate. I could've kissed him.

"You know, with a start like that, I should've guessed how crappy my week was going to turn out.

"A combination of detention and PMS had given me no time for my homework. I had this huge Arithmancy project due on Wednesday that I was only half done. So I was up all Tuesday night, trying to finish it. Needless to say, the end result was utter crap. I really do _not_ want to get that project back next week.

"Then, yesterday, guess what I found out? We had an essay due in History in Magic that no one bothered to tell me about. And I _did_ ask what we had missed. Everyone said, 'Nothing, we never do anything in that class.' " Lily growled softly. "I hate it when people do that.

"And on top of all that, we had a test today in Defence Against the Dark Arts that I _completely_ forgot about." Lily sighed and sunk back into the suds. "It's really been a bad week."

There was silence for a few minutes, while neither Lily nor the rubber ducky said anything. Then Lily sat up. "I hate James Potter. I do. I mean it this time. He's been such a pain in the ass this week.

"You know how I was saying I was mad at him for bugging me on Monday about PMSing?" She didn't wait for a reply before going on. "Well, it just got worse as the week went on.

"Yeah, I know it's partially my fault," she admitted. "It's just that I have a redhead's temper. I find it hard to forgive and forget. Not that James was making it any easier. He could've at least met me halfway, but no, not James Potter. Far be it for he to stoop so low as to apologize to his girlfriend.

"We were horrible to each other all through Tuesday and Wednesday. Then, Wednesday night, I realized that I was being unreasonable and went to apologize to him.

"I found him flirting with that tramp Polly from Hufflepuff. I don't think I've ever screamed so loud. Of course he tried to convince me it wasn't what it looked like, but that's what they all say. I have two eyes; I can see.

"So I'm currently not talking to James Potter. At least he has the decency to try and apologize after I caught him. He's practically been following me around for the last few days on his hands and his knees, begging for forgiveness."

There was something about the duck that made Lily defensive. "What?" she demanded self-consciously. "He deserves it. So what if I haven't heard his side of the story. What can he possibly say that will convince me to forgive him?"

She was starting to feel uncomfortable with the way the duck was staring at her. "This is ridiculous," she said out loud, hoping that saying it would actually convince her it was indeed silly. "I'm talking to a rubber ducky."

The duck continued to regard her with unblinking eyes until she finally had to look away. "Fine," she conceded. "I'll talk to James."

Just then there was a harsh knock at the door. "Open up!" a voice called. "You've been in there forever. There are other people who need to use the bathroom!"

"All right, all right," she yelled. "I'm hurrying. Jeez," she added under her breath. "There's no reason to get your knickers in a knot."

She got out of the tub and pulled the plug. After drying herself off, she put on a big, white, fluffy bathrobe and wrapped up her wet hair in a towel. The person on the other side of the door rapped again impatiently.

"I'm coming," she screeched. She flung open the door angrily. Severus Snape was standing there, his hand posed, ready to knock again.

"You," she accused.

Snape sneered at her. "Took you long enough. Now get out."

"I'm only too happy to oblige," Lily said with a scowl, leaving.

"Fine." Snape slammed the door behind her.

End of Lily's Part  
Monday, June 4, 2001

* * *

_This is the first part of a group of stories, more like monologues, one for each of the MWPP characters plus Lily and Snape. It is a response to rubber duck challenge found on the HP Fanfic Challenge Page. To be honest, it isn't my best work, but I thought I'd post it anyway._

_As always, the characters and the HP universe do not belong to me, but rather the lovely, talented J.K. Rowling._

_Oh, I should add that I have taken several liberties in the writing of this fic. Chances are slim to nil, in my opinion, that all six of them would share the same washroom. However, luckily for me, this is fanfic, so who really cares?_

_And one final thing. The lyrics at the beginning do not belong to me, but rather to Ernie from Sesame Street. grin_

_Trinity Day_


	2. Snape

**Confessions to a Yellow Duck: ****Snape**

Severus was in a foul mood. Not only had he had to wait for an inordinate amount of time for the annoying Head Girl, Lily, to finish up so he could use the bathroom, but now, he had to endure the cloying smell of her perfume while he got ready for bed. He wrinkled his nose in disgust as he drew the water for his bath. Some people just had no consideration for others.

It was enough to make him sick.

He spotted the rubber ducky at the side of the bathtub and scowled. "I see she also left her things behind. Typical Gryffindor scum, thinking all of Hogwarts is for their use, and their use alone.

"Oh, well," he said, getting into the bath. "They'll get there's in due course."

There was silence for a few minutes when nothing could be heard except the sound of Severus swimming a few laps of the enormous tub. He came back looking and feeling much more refreshed.

"I should just put a hex on you," he told the duck. "It would serve her right, for leaving her stuff in here."

As weird as it sounded, Severus could swear the duck looked alarmed. He felt the inexplicable need to reassure the inanimate thing. "You needn't worry," he said. "I won't. There's an unspoken rule here at Hogwarts - the bathroom's off limits for any inter-house rivalry. No one wants to deal with curses and hexes when they're bathing. Even Potter and his gang of improvident misfits aren't stupid enough to break this rule."

He glowered. "Not like they wouldn't get away with it, even if they did. Those four get away with everything. If I were a teacher, things would be different.

"Of course, all the teachers feel sorry for them. Well, at least for Lupin. The poor dear," he mimicked. "The poor thing, always sick. The poor, beastly _werewolf_." The last part came out as a snarl.

Severus looked at the duck. "You have a right to be afraid," he said. "No one is safe with that _thing_ running wild around Hogwarts. If only the Headmaster could see that, we would all be safer at night. But Albus Dumbledore is too compassionate for his own good. He'd let anything into the school - Muggles, werewolves, what next? A goblin? How about a troll? Or better yet, a chimaera or a manticore. Just sit back and see who's the first to get eaten.

"But even Lupin is tame in comparison to Black. He's a maniac, a killer, but he, too, has the teachers wrapped around his little finger. They can't see him for what he really is.

"I grew up with him, had the misfortune of living in the same village. I saw him as a child and he acted just as he does now - a sociopath with no signs of a human conscience. At least the werewolf has an excuse for not being human.

"Then there's Potter, the last member of the group, unless you count that contemptible sycophant, Pettigrew. I don't. The moment he has a free thought is the moment hell freezes over.

"Potter, on the other hand, is the ringleader of that coterie. He's the brains behind the operation. Perfect prefect Potter - Head Boy now. He has everything going for him. It's despicable.

"Just the other day, Potter and his gang decided to utterly humiliate us Slytherins once again, all because we won the last Quidditch match. They just can't take the heat. We weren't even playing against them, but they're too afraid of facing us on the field that they couldn't stand our victory.

"It was Black's idea, I'm sure. All the truly demented ones are. A deranged idea from a deranged mind is what I say.

"The thing is, Black is as clever is he is dangerous. It pains me to admit it, but it's true. We have long ago learned to identify the first signs that the Gryffindors have tried to pull some kind of prank on us and take precaution against it. They know this and act accordingly.

"The exploding pastries were just too easily identifiable as a diversionary prank. That should have been our first clue. The _Marauders_," his lips curled as he said the name, "haven't been that obvious about it since second year.

"The feathers were a better touch. Black and Potter obviously spent a long time preparing that one. It put us off guard, made us unprepared for the real prank."

Severus paused then, remembering. Suddenly he smiled maliciously. "It was nothing in comparison to what awaits them tomorrow morning. That will be a prank worth remembering."

He got out of the bathtub and dried off. It wasn't a minute too soon for, as soon as he got dressed, there was a knock. He was already standing by the door, just about to leave, so he was able to open it before the person on the other side could knock again.

It was Potter, of course. 'Speak of the devil and he shall appear,' Severus thought to himself. The Head Boy's mouth tightened, but he didn't say a word. Severus stalked off, slamming the door behind him.

End of Snape's Part  
Wednesday, June 6, 2001

* * *

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first part. See it for disclaimers and author's notes. **Su** - I suppose you can say there will be a hint of romance in this story, but only peripherally. It's not a general romance fic. **Cali** - Is there anything special about the rubber ducky? Ummm . . . wait and see. (In other words, have no idea. You'll know as soon as I do. grin)_

_Trinity Day_


	3. James

**Confessions to a Yellow Duck: James**

James waited until he was sure Snape was gone before getting the bath ready. Staring speculatively at the door, he asked himself, "I wonder if he washes his hair when he has a bath?"

Then, resolving not to think about Snape any more that night, especially not Snape bathing, he got into the tub, which had filled with water. There was a rubber duck sitting at the side of the tub, he noticed. James looked between the duck and the door and back again, but dismissed the idea with a shake of his head. "It couldn't be. It just couldn't. Still..." His eyes lingered a little longer on the door that Snape had left through moments ago.

Looking down at the duck, he asked the inanimate object, "So who exactly do you belong to? I can't believe you're Snape's - you're far too pleasant to belong to him. Oh well, I'm sure someone will claim you. Meanwhile you can stay here and keep me company."

He settled into the water but was unable to relax. Throwing his head back in frustration, he said, "Hey, you don't mind if I unload some things on you, do you?" If he were normal, he probably wouldn't have asked. He _was_ talking to a rubber duck, after all. However, James Potter was a wizard and he knew that things weren't always as they appeared to be, so he did not feel particularly silly having a conversation with a toy, even if said toy didn't respond. Stranger things had been known to happen.

Since the duck didn't vocalize any response, James took it as a sign for him to continue. "It's just so frustrating. Lily's mad at me, and I can't figure out what to do to fix things. I didn't _do_ anything wrong! She thinks I was flirting with one of the girls from Hufflepuff. But I wouldn't - I didn't.

"It actually started earlier on in the week. She was already mad at Padfoot and me because she got in trouble for a prank that we got her to help us with. It's not like she gets in trouble often, and it wasn't that bad a punishment. It was only a couple of hours in the Forbidden Forest. If we were only so lucky to get that punishment all the time."

He glanced over at the rubber ducky. "I know what you're thinking, but despite its name, the Forbidden Forest isn't that bad. It can actually be pretty fun once you get used to it. Certainly much better than polishing the trophies in the trophy room - _again_. Or," he shuddered, "being forced to help Nelligan with his plants." Professor Nelligan was a particularly vindictive teacher of theirs who taught Herbology. He hated James, Sirius, Remus and Peter.

"Padfoot and I are out there all the time," James said, changing the subject back to something a bit more pleasant. "The forest, I mean. Sometimes Moony and Wormtail join us, but not always. Those two are the more cautious ones. But then, anyone would look cautious compared to Sirius. He's one of a kind, that's for sure."

James shook his head, thinking about Sirius. "If he put even a half-decent effort into his school work, I'd have a run for my money at being Head Boy. There's a scary thought - Sirius as Head Boy. The school would go to pieces, I'm sure.

"The Slytherins would go mad. I admit, they're not my favourite group, but even I don't have such intense hatred towards them. Something about the whole lot just seems to rub Sirius the wrong way.

"Of course," he reflected, grinning, "the result is usually comical. Take just last week, for instance. Lily was still on speaking terms with me then and with her help, we pulled the best trick on them. _That's_ one that will go down in the history books. I can see us in forty years, sitting around the fire, reminiscing about that one. It was a classic."

James' grin turned melancholy and he sighed, and his mind predictably found its back to Lily. "What am I going to do about her?" he asked rhetorically. "She won't talk to me. She doesn't want to hear what I have to say. How can I make up with someone who pretends I'm invisible?

"I've been invisible before, you know that? Well, sort of. I've an Invisibility Cloak. It can be pretty weird, standing beside someone who has no idea you're there, but somehow, it doesn't compare to standing beside someone who is putting on their best show, pretending you aren't there. Especially if that someone is your girlfriend whom you really wish would talk to you.

"That's the thing," James groaned. "I just know that if I can talk to her, I'll be able to convince her that nothing's going on between me and any other girl. As if any girl could even hold a light to Lily. She's perfect, in every way."

He sighed dreamily, thinking about his girlfriend, while the rubber ducky waited patiently for him to get back to his senses. It took awhile, but he eventually got there. "That's it," he said resolutely. "I will not just sit back and wait until Lily decides to take pity on me and forgive me. I will go find her right now and force her to listen to me. She'll forgive me if it's the last thing I do," he vowed.

Getting out of the tub, he rushed to the door and almost left before looking down at himself and blushing. "Maybe I should get dressed first," he said, embarrassed. Luckily the only one around to see him make a fool of himself was the rubber duck. "How about we keep this between you and me?" he asked, drying himself and the floor off and pulling on some robes.

Without waiting for an answer, he rushed off to find Lily. Back in the bathroom, the rubber duck wished the boy luck with his girlfriend.

End of James' Part  
Friday, June 8, 2001

* * *

_I thought that before I went any further, I should point out (as Ana Ingva already has) that it is probably very unlikely that they would all be sharing the same washroom. Chalk it up to creative license. _

_Don't worry, **RavenNat, **all the Marauders will have a part (that includes Peter, even though I know many of you despise him). I've finished Remus', I just need to polish it off, and am halfway through Peter's. **Queen Kakia** - I sincerely doubt the duck will turn out evil, but you never know. It seems to have a mind of its own. Likewise, **Bob, spelled backwards**, I don't think the rubber ducky is very a person in disguise, but see my comments to Kakia up above. **Ana Ingva - **thanks for pointing that out (about the prefects' bathroom). I meant to say something about that earlier._

_Also thanks to everyone else who reviewed, **Alcione, Cali, calliope, Puzzler, Su, name, nny27, KateAnguaPotter, Ada Kensington, **and **Glesbrecht**._


	4. Remus

**Confessions to a Yellow Duck: Remus**

Remus was the next to come use the prefect's bathroom. The boy looked pale, drawn and extremely tired. He was silent all while waiting for the tub to fill. When he got into the water, he lay his head back onto the edge and closed his eyes.

Eventually he opened them again and came face to face with the rubber ducky. "Oh," he said, "hi. What brings you here tonight?"

It might have been the fact that he was he exhausted, but Remus could have sworn that the duck gave him an apprehensive look. "You needn't worry," he informed it. "The full moon was on Wednesday. Only as a werewolf would I have any ideas of eating you. I'm perfectly safe now."

He yawned widely. "I'm so tired. The transformation takes a lot out of me. You'd think I'd be used to it by now. I've certainly been going through it for enough years. But it seems to be one of those things that doesn't lessen with time. If anything, I find it more painful now than it ever used to be.

"At least I don't have to go through it alone anymore. Oh," he exclaimed, "no, there isn't another wolf here at Hogwarts, or anything like that. There aren't that many wolves out there, at least in England there aren't. And I'm the first wolf to be admitted to Hogwarts, if not ever, at least for many, many years. Most wizards despise werewolves. I can hardly blame them for it, either. We are quite the despicable bunch.

"No, I'm afraid when I said I'm not alone during my transformations I was referring to something else entirely. I have corrupted my friends, am the cause of them becoming illegal Animagi. If I weren't foolish enough to have gotten bitten, they never would have considered breaking the law for me. There would have been no need for them to do so."

He sighed. "Sometimes I think it would have been better if Dumbledore hadn't become Headmaster. No one else would have accepted me at Hogwarts. And if I weren't here, my friends wouldn't have considered breaking the laugh for me."

If the duck had eyebrows, it would have raised them. Somehow, though, even without them, he managed to convey his disbelief to the young werewolf.

"Okay," Remus conceded. "So I'm sure Sirius would have considered breaking the law even without me around. And maybe James, as well. But not Peter. I can honestly say Peter wouldn't have thought of becoming an Animagus without knowing I was a werewolf."

He sighed and hung his head in shame. "I almost escaped on Wednesday," he admitted. "I think the wolf has gotten used to the others and now knows them too well. I brought them too close to the Acromantula settlement in the Forbidden Forest. Then, while they were busy trying to get away from the spiders, I escaped. It took them a few moments to even realize I was gone. Luckily Peter, who was too small for the Acromantula to notice, saw me go and warned the others.

"They got me again, before any damage was done, but it was so close. I was so close. A few more seconds, and who knows what I might have done."

Shaking his head, Remus added, "It's too dangerous. I'm too dangerous. Sirius and the others may not be able to understand, but I do. Werewolves aren't tame, cannot be tamed. They simply cannot seem to comprehend that. No matter what happens, it's all a joke to them. But it's not. It's a matter of life or death. If one of these days I _do_ escape and kill or hurt someone, whose fault do you think it would be? Whom do you think would be plagued with guilt about it? Who would get blamed?

"They may have become Animagi," he continued, "illegal, though it may be, but they would not be blamed for any such incident. Nor should they be. I am the werewolf. It would be my fault. Not theirs, mine."

He sighed again. "I guess I'm just in one of my moods tonight, as James terms them. Moody Moony, that's me," he said, self-deprecatingly. "It'll pass. It always does. Then I'll be laughing and joking about my near miss with the rest of them. I'm a bastard, an irresponsible bastard.

"But I suppose you've had enough of hearing me whine tonight," he said, addressing the rubber duck. "Thanks for letting me wallow in my self-pity. Not many would let me go on like that. My friends certainly don't." He gave out a rough bark of laughter. "They don't think it's healthy."

He got out of the tub and dried himself off. "They might be right, but denying reality isn't healthy, either. And reality is, I'm a monster." Taking his time, he silently put on his robes and left the rubber duck to reflect in peace.

End of Remus' Part  
Sunday, June 10, 2001

* * *

_Shameless plug alert! Shameless plug alert! If you guys are enjoying this story, why not check out some of my other HP fics? They're almost exclusively MWPP. Just click on my name up at the top and look for _**Mischief in the Making**_, _**Moonlight Discoveries**, **Snuffles' First Adventure**, _and _**The Prank**. _Also, keep your eye out for _**Flying Lessons**_, a Baby Harry story that will be coming out as soon as I get it back from my betas._

_Once again, thank you to everyone who __reviewed. **Alisha** - The duck hasn't talked yet, and I don't think he will, but I'll keep it in mind for sure. You never know. **Cali** - Patience, patience. Here's his part already. Now, that wasn't so bad, was it? I won't tell you I've got Peter's and Sirius' part done this time (mostly because it would be a lie grin). **RavenNat** - thanks! ** Queen Kakia** - I'm not going to put Lucius in it because, until I get official word otherwise, I don't believe he was in the same year as the MWPP crowd. Plus I don't think I'd be able to write him all too well_

_Trinity Day_


	5. Peter

**Confessions to a Yellow Duck: Peter**

The next boy who entered the prefects' washroom was shorter than the others and slightly chubbier. He closed the door quickly, locking it behind him and looked around apprehensively, as if afraid someone was going to stumble upon him and yell at him for being there. He looked too nervous to belong there.

He spotted the yellow rubber duck and his face lit up. "Lellow!" he shouted, racing over to it. Then his face fell as he realized it wasn't his duck.

"You're not Lellow," he said sadly. "I should have known better. Sirius probably stole him from my room, like I originally thought. That's the sort of thing he'd do. I mean, who cares that I've had Lellow since I was three? Who cares that I can't remember a time when I didn't have him? Who cares that I was so young when I got him that I couldn't say 'yellow' and that's why he's names Lellow?" By now, Peter's voice had gotten angry. "Certainly not Sirius Black! All he cares is that stupid little Peter has a stuffed animal. I mean, what else could he do but steal it and make fun of me for it?"

He slumped his shoulders in defeat. "He always makes fun of me, he and James. I don't know why they're so mean to me. I don't do anything wrong. They've no right to tease me like they do. They think just because they're so smart and popular, they can do whatever they want. It's not my fault I'm not that good at school. Things just don't come to me so easily like they do for James and Sirius.

"They're just so brave, and so smart, and so courageous. I feel so stupid around them." During his narrative he had turned on the bubble-bath tap and waited for the water level to rise enough for him to get into the bath. Large blue and pink bubbles filled the air and Peter amused himself by popping one dejectedly every once in awhile.

"Just the other night, we were out in the Forest." He shivered involuntarily. "I hate that place. I hate when they make me go there. There're too many monsters and creatures in there. No sane person would enter voluntarily. And it was the second time this week I was forced to go in there. Sirius got us a detention on the weekend for another one of his stupid pranks.

"The other day, though, it was the full moon. Remus is," his voice dropped to a whisper and his voice was fearful, "a werewolf." He looked terrified to even think about it. "On full moons we go out and wander the woods together.

"I'm the rat." He punctuated the statement by popping a particularly large blue bubble. The soapsuds got into his eyes and he squeezed them tightly, trying not to cry out in pain. Fumbling for the taps, he turned on one of the water ones and washed out his eye."

Peter glanced at the duck, who was looking at him with a sympathetically face. "You aren't going to make fun of me, then?" Peter asked bitterly. "That's a first. My friends never cease to make fun of me. Sirius is always going on about Ratboy. They called me _Wormtail_!" His lip curled up in disgust. "The others get names like Prongs and Padfoot and Moony, and I get stuck with Wormtail. It's not fair."

The duck gave him a look that, if it were to be translated into words, would be taken to mean, "Life isn't fair." However Peter was in no mood to get philosophical with a rubber ducky, so ignored it.

"They always make fun of me, pick on me, just because I'm not as brave as they are. So what if I don't like risking my neck once a month to go gallivanting about with a werewolf? It doesn't mean I'm not brave, it just means I'm not stupid. What would happen if it escaped one month? I, for one, wouldn't want to have to go catch a feral werewolf.

"It happened this month, too. Well, almost. First it lured us towards some giant spiders," he shuddered in remembrance of the monstrosities, "then Remus gave us the slip. If I hadn't been paying attention, who knows what would have happened. But did James or Sirius thank me? Of course not. That would mean they would have to acknowledge that I saved the day. That's just simply unthinkable, that little pathetic Peter Pettigrew might actually have saved the day instead of brave, heroic James Potter or Sirius Black."

With a violent wave of his hand, he pushed all the bubbles away from his head, popping several in the process. Then he calmed down again.

"They don't give me any respect. I'm just someone they keep around so they have someone to blame when things go wrong. It's always, 'Peter, be quiet;' 'Peter, don't be so clumsy;' 'Shh, shut up, Peter, else we'll get caught;' 'Stupid Peter, thanks for getting us caught!' As if I was the only one who ever made any noise. It's not my fault I've gotten us caught once or twice. So have the others. But if you heard them saying it, it would seem that I was the only one ever to get us caught.

"I don't see why I always get the blame. It's not fair." There was that word again, but Peter was too busy ranting to even notice the rubber ducky anymore. "They pick on me, they always pick on me. They never stop. Nothing I can do is ever good enough for them. They only keep me around so they can have someone to laugh at, someone they can blame when things go wrong. That's all I am to them, a scapegoat."

He slumped forward. "Sometimes I think they hate me. Why else would they torment me so much? I'm always the last to know anything, no one ever confides in me. I get made fun of the most. Teachers hate me; the other students hate me. It's just not fair."

By now his skin had become wrinkly, so Peter judged it was time to go. He took his time getting out of the tub and dressing. When he left, he ran into Sirius, who was just coming in.

"Hey Wormtail!" Sirius said cheerfully. Then he peered at the smaller boy. "Say, since when are you a prefect?"

Peter's eyes widened. "It's not my fault," he stammered. "I didn't want to come here, but - " he broke off suddenly. "Hey, you're not a prefect, either!" he accused.

Sirius grinned at him. "Of course not! But their bathroom's so much better. I got the password out of James months ago. Who told you? Prongs? Or Moony?"

"Remus did," Peter answered. "I'm gonna go now." He seemed anxious to get away from the scene of the crime.

"See you later, Wormtail!" Sirius called after the retreating form.

The rubber ducky watched Peter leave with troubled eyes, worrying about him. The troubled eyes quickly became fearful, however, when she got a good look at the boy left behind.

End of Peter's Part  
Wednesday, June 13, 2001

* * *

_Just one left to go. I'm hoping to have Sirius' part out by Friday. In other good news, tomorrow's my last day of classes. I just have exams next week then I'm out of school for the summer. I can't wait._

_**Queen Kakia** - You just want the duck to be evil, don't you? **RavenNat** - I'm glad you're enjoying. **Cali** - It could be Dumbledore, but then he would have known about them being Animagi and that wouldn't fit. Also thanks for reviewing, **Dark Girl, Rachel Granger-Gryffindor**, and **Sweet Tal**._

_Trinity Day_


	6. Sirius

**Confessions to a Yellow Duck: Sirius**

Sirius Black surveyed the bathroom with an odd glint in his eyes that frightened the rubber duck. It found himself sincerely hoping that Severus Snape had not been lying earlier when he had said no one dared break the sanctity of the washroom for some mindless prank. If anyone would, it would probably be Sirius Black.

Luckily, it seemed Severus had been telling the truth, for when Sirius looked over and spotted the duck, all he did was smirk. "I thought I took Wormtail's rubber ducky," he said out loud. He shrugged. "Maybe he has two. It doesn't matter. I'll figure out whose I have tomorrow morning. Whoever turns red, that's who it'll be." The rubber duck felt sorry for its forsaken companion.

Chuckling to himself, Sirius asked, "Wormtail was rather nervous, wasn't he? One would almost think this was his first time breaking the rules. I wonder if that means he hasn't been in the prefects' washroom before? Shame if it was - the prefects' washroom is a hundred times better than regular ones. I should know, I've been using it since fourth year."

He smiled disarmingly at the rubber duck, which found itself understanding why so many of the teachers found him charming, even if his fellow classmates had called him a prankster, a bully, a maniac, a killer, a thief, a sociopath, reckless and deranged. The boy had charisma in spades and depite itself, the rubber ducky found it starting to like Sirius.

Unlike his friend, Sirius did not opt for a bubble bath but rather filled the tub with plain lukewarm tap water. "So how are you doing tonight?" he asked the duck, striking up a conversation.

It didn't answer. "Shy, are you?" he asked. "Maybe you _are_ Wormtail's after all. He's a little on the shy side, too. Anyway, enough about him. I've plenty better things to talk about." The rubber duck seemed to doubt him, so he said, "Like what? For example, the Slytherins.

"I know, I know," Sirius said, rolling his eyes, "the Slytherins aren't important. Trust me, no one knows that fact more than I do. No, what's important isn't the snake-loving bastards themselves, but rather the stunts we can pull on them."

He burst out laughing, deep hearty chuckles. "Last week, oh last week. Sometimes I'm so clever I astonish myself." Unfortunately for Sirius' rapidly inflating ego, neither James nor Remus were around to bring him back down to earth with a sharp barb, as they often had reason to do.

"Of course, I'd never have thought of it if my mother hadn't been such an opera buff." He actually paused for a second and the duck wondered why he had used past tense when referring to his mother.

"Lil was going on about some Muggle play she'd seen over the summer, and it reminded me of the plot of one of my mum's favourite operas," he continued. "Anyway, to make a long story short, we witnessed the Slytherins being tarred and feathered last week. Almost everyone got hit, and those who weren't, got caught by the next curse.

"Those would be the few Slytherins, namely that slimy git Snape and his friends, who have been subject to our pranks enough to recognize the warning signs. Of course, we knew they would, and we were ready for that."

He stopped for a minute, tilting his head to the side, as if listening closely to something no one else could hear. "Whaddaya think, rubber ducky?" he asked. "Quack, quack! My thoughts exactly. The performance of _The Magic Flute_ would have been better had Papageno been feathered. Too bad Snape avoided that part of the prank."

It was amazing, the rubber duck marvelled, how Sirius could carry on a conversation with himself, yet make it seem like there was another participant. At least the others who had talked to the duck that night had an idea of what the rubber duck was conveying to them. Sirius, on the other hand, was utterly clueless. Either that, or he was just being obstinate, refusing to pay the duck any real attention.

"Too bad McGonagall doesn't enjoy music as much as the Headmaster does. Can you believe Dumbledore actually watched part of the performance with stopping it? And he applauded Snape and the others when McGonagall came in and stopped it. Boy, was she angry. Pinned the whole thing on us. Imagine! Didn't even listen to our side before blaming us. That wouldn't have been too bad, but she somehow figured out that the girls had assisted us in this one.

"They were so mad. Really, I don't know why. We got off pretty lightly, only one night's detention in the Forbidden Forest. I suppose it's because Dumbledore likes opera so much.

"Of course, Mercedes is always mad at me, so that didn't make much of a difference. And Marie has that huge crush on Peter, so she quickly made up with us to try to get onto his good side. But Lil stayed mad at James all week.

"Actually," Sirius clarified, "that's a lie. I caught them in the halls before I came here. They've made up. Believe me, they've more than made up." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

The rubber duck ignored him. It had decided earlier on that that was the best course of action with this particular student. If he wasn't going to pay attention to it, why should it pay attention to him? It was, however, glad to hear Lily and James had made up.

"Did you know Lil actually thought James was cheating on her?" Sirius shook his head. "James. Can you believe it?" He obviously couldn't. "Even if he didn't think the sun rose and set on Lily, there's no way he would cheat on her. He's too loyal. Cheating's just not something that he does."

Forgetting that it had stopped trying to communicate with Sirius, the rubber duck looked at him to say, 'Unlike you.' It would have continued on to remind Sirius that loyalty wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it finally remembered the futility in talking to that particular boy. Sirius, of course, either missed it or ignored it once again. But then, what else could be expected from a boy who was willing to humiliate a poor, defenceless rubber duck?

"Speaking of Slytherins," Sirius said, although he had not been, "I think they're going to try to pull something on us tomorrow morning. They've got that smug, satisfied look on their faces. It won't work, of course. It never does. We Gryffindors are too clever for that."

Too conceited was more like it.

"Anyway," Sirius said. "I've got to get going. It's getting late." Quickly he dried himself off and got dressed. He was just about to leave when he ran into Dumbledore in the hallway just outside the bathroom.

"Professor Dumbledore," he said, considerably more cheerful than any other student would be if they had just been caught in the prefects' washroom after curfew when they weren't a prefect.

"Sirius Black." Far from sounding angry, the headmaster only smiled his trademark smile and, his eyes twinkling, asked, "Isn't it a bit late to be wandering the halls?"

"Yes sir." Although the words suggested humbleness, he himself didn't sound contrite.

"And did I miss your promotion to prefect?"

"No sir. Not unless I've missed it as well," he added cheekily.

"Then I suggest you keep from wandering around at night, going to the prefects' bathroom."

"Yes sir," Sirius said. He started to leave, but Dumbledore stopped him.

"Oh, and Sirius?" Sirius turned around and waited. "Go straight back to Gryffindor Tower. I don't want to hear that you've been caught roaming about by one of the teachers again."

Grinning, Sirius said, "You won't, Professor Dumbledore. I promise."

Neither the headmaster nor the rubber duck missed that Sirius only promised not to get caught, not that he would go back to his room.

End of Sirius' Part  
Sunday, June 17, 2001

* * *

_It's later than expected, I know. I'm sorry. I got a little stumped during this part. You'll also notice I haven't resolved anything with the duck. Don't worry, I will get to that in the next and (real) final part. Unfortunately, I don't know when that will be since I have exams all next week, and if I had any brains, I'd be studying for them right now, not writing. Since that doesn't seem to be the case, I'll probably be doing a lot of last minute cramming and won't have as much time for writing. Either way, I'll be free on Friday, so give me to next Sunday, tops. I promise I'll have it out by then._

_On the plus side of things, while I was stuck on this one, I had the chance to pretty much finish up another MWPP fic I've been working on. That ones much longer and has an gasp actual plot! I know, isn't that a scary thought? Anyway, I'll have it finished up in a few days, then sent off to be beta'ed. Keep your eye out for it if you're so inclined._

_Also, if you haven't already done so, I'd love for you to check out **Flying Lessons**, my latest fic (not including this one, obviously). Of course, I'd also love for you to check out my other fics._

_Thanks as always to those wonderful people who reviewed. You guys are the greatest. And to all of you who are trying to convince me to make the duck evil, you'll just have to wait and see. In other words, I have no idea yet. We'll all find out in the next part._

_Well, that was an exceptionally long author's note (which is why I didn't thank each person who reviewed individually, by the way). I'll be shutting up now._

_Trinity Day_


	7. Dumbledore and the Duck

**Confessions to a Yellow Duck: Dumbledore and the Duck**

Dumbledore entered the bathroom and stared intently at the rubber ducky. It froze and tried to send out vibes of harmlessness. Unfortunately it either didn't work or else Dumbledore was immune to the duck's charms. Very carefully, he moved his face closer to the bathtub toy until his long crooked nose was only an inch away from the duck's beak. It hit fast and sudden, but not quickly enough to catch the old man off guard.

The duck had opened its mouth to reveal a row of vicious looking and, more importantly, very sharp teeth. It tried to bite Dumbledore, but the Headmaster was ready for the attack. Faster than the previously-thought-to-be-inanimate object, he pulled his head (and nose) back out of the way while his hands darted out and captured the rubber duck.

The duck, of course, struggled like crazy, but was not able to get out of Dumbledore's grasp. It snapped its razor sharp teeth in vain. The wizard knew enough to keep the duck well out of biting distance.

"Well what do we have here?" Dumbledore asked the captive creature. "How did you manage to sneak in here?"

The duck continued to struggle, but remained silent. It almost worked one wing free - it was much more mobile than it had looked to any of the students earlier on that night - but Dumbledore only tightened his grip.

"A Quavit. I haven't seen one of you in, well, years. There hasn't been one in Hogwarts in even longer. How did you get in?"

The yellow duck snapped its beak at Dumbledore a few more times. "You're strong," the headmaster commented. "How many students have you seen? It must have been three or four, at least, judging by how much life you have in you. I'm surprised no one noticed you earlier.

"It's a good thing I got to you when I did," Dumbledore continued. "A couple more students and you would have been strong enough to wreak havoc around Hogwarts. Who, indeed, would expect a seemingly innocent rubber ducky to attack them?"

The duck refused to answer, though that may have been more because it wasn't able to speak than from any ideas of rebellion. Although it had a lot more power than it had when it first appeared earlier that night, a half a dozen witches and wizards didn't lend it enough strength for it to attempt human speech. Especially considering the last one didn't pay it any real attention. People like Sirius Black were of no use to the duck. Unless they paid it more attention than a simple acknowledgement, it could not draw any power from them.

"Never mind that," Dumbledore said. "What's important right now is to get you out of the castle before any more students come by and pour their souls out to you."

The words only caused the rubber ducky, which had calmed down briefly, to start struggling again, harder than ever. It still didn't do any good.

"Come on, now," Dumbledore said firmly. "There's no need for that. I'll bring you to the Forbidden Forest and set you loose. From there, I'm sure there are plenty of places you can go where you can trick people into confessing their deepest, darkest secrets to you and making you grow strong. But not Hogwarts." Dumbledore added extra emphasis for the last few words.

The rubber ducky, now pretty much resigned to its fate, all but gave up struggling. Of course, it couldn't just meekly allow Dumbledore carry it out of the school - it _did_ have some dignity, after all, but nothing more than a cursory struggle was needed. At least it knew now that the headmaster wasn't planning on destroying it, only getting it away from his students and charges.

Oh, well. There were other places it could carry out its reign of terror. It had heard nice things about Beauxbatons.

The End (as in, the end, the end)  
July 1, 2001 (Happy Canada's Day for all you Canucks out there!)

* * *

_Well, it's about a week late, I know, but I'm sorry. After my last exam, I came home and found out I had a job starting the very next day so I've been working and have had next to no time for writing._

_I hope you're all happy (cough**Queen Kakia**cough). I succumbed to peer pressure and made the duck (semi)evil. I hope it made sense to someone other than me. . . _

_Before I get to my thanks section, which is extremely long, I'm going to ask if anyone out there would be willing to beta read for me. I'm writing another MWPP fic and I need someone to proof it. E-mail me at _

_Okay, now, thanks. **Queen Kakia** - don't feel sorry for Peter. Same to **Sweet Tal** and **Rachel Granger-Gryffindor. Giesbrecht** - you're right; Peter is rather stereotypical, Remus, too, probably. I'll try to work on that. **AngelStar** - I'm glad you're enjoying it, but I probably won't write one for the present day people, if only because I don't much care for writing about them for the most part. However, this came from a challenge at HP Fanfic Challenge Page. You may want to check it out for other responses. **Cali** - of course Dumbledore arriving had to do with the duck! Remember, this _is _the all-knowing Headmaster of Hogwarts that we're talking about. **Springrain** - I'm sorry you're not allowed on the net over the summer. I hope you're mom relents. **Iniga **- thanks for reviewing all my stories! I know I owe you about half a dozen myself, and I will get around to it either today or tomorrow, for sure._

_Thanks also go to **Su, RavenNat, Moon, m, Ava Ingva, KateAnguaPotter, Nettey Potter, Sarah Black, care, The Real Baka, Kayara, clamchowder, Alcione,** and** phoenixvscrazysnow**_

_I think that's it. I was trying to go for a record there, you know, having my author's notes longer than the actual story. Yeah . . . . that's it . . . ._

_Trinity Day_


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